Casey vs The Consequences
by RosalieThropp
Summary: Casey and Ellie are secretly dating.But what are the consequences of their encounters? Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything.

**A/N**: So, this story was first created as a one-shot. However, I do have a storyline to continue, so if you guys find it interesting and want to know what happen next, I'll publish the second chapter. If you guys don't, I'll leave it as a one shot, and you can let your imagination give the ending to it. Either way, it's fine with me :)

And just so you know, english is NOT my first lenguage,so forgive my grammar and coherence mistakes.Just let me know what's wrong so I can work on it on my next story.

Enjoy!

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He had forgotten how difficult it was to be around her like that.

John Casey watched as Eleanor Woodcomb helped Sarah as they tried to decorate the backyard of the rented beach house with white, red and blue flags.

Chuck had insisted he joined them for the 4th July holiday. Casey's immediate answer was "No", but when he found out Chuck had invited Alex as well, and saw how excited she was about it, he agreed.

But at the moment, Casey was regretting his decision. Being around Ellie for one entire weekend was going to be tough._ Really_ tough.

He took a deep breath trying not to think about her, and push the memories of their illicit acts aside. But it was hard with her only a few feet away from him, looking more beautiful than ever in her summer dress.

Ellie, in the other hand, refused to look to the Marine who was staring at her from across the yard. She was doing a great job avoiding him for almost two months now, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Hey big guy, wanna help me out over here?" Chuck asked from the grill where he was making hot dogs for dinner.

Casey let out a low grunt, and approached Chuck. He got distracted by something the Nerd Herder was talking, while they made a few more hot dogs. But his attention was back on Ellie when he saw Devon approach her.

In the past couple of months, things between her and Devon were not good as they used to be. Even if Ellie hadn't told him, Casey would know that by the surveillance cameras he had on their house.

Actually, things between the Woodcombs hadn't been so good since before Casey and Ellie started their encounters, almost six months ago.

Ellie had already told Casey that she and Devon weren't getting along since her father's death and all the CIA stuff they've been through. They had already asked for the divorce papers, but in the mean time they were keeping the appearances. She and Devon were only together by _convenience_.

But things seemed worse now. It was noticeable how all the tenderness Devon used to have with Ellie was gone. _Far_ gone.

Enough for other people to realize there was something wrong between them.

Casey felt a small pang of guilt arise in his chest. What if Devon knew about them?

Sure, Devon knew Ellie was seeing somebody else, he just didn't know it was Casey. What if Devon knew about he and Ellie, and that's why he was treating her like that.

_It's the only logical reason why his behavior would change like that._

But how could he possibly know? Casey was a trained spy, he knew how to lie to other people, and he knew how to hide de truth. And Ellie was getting good at keeping things to herself too.

So _how_ could he know about them?

"Are you okay?" Chuck's voice brought Casey back from his thoughts.

Casey grunted again as he stepped away from Chuck.

He watched as Devon said something to Ellie, and he could clearly see Ellie's hurt expression.

_How dare he do this to her?_ Casey curled his fists as questioned silently.

Ellie stormed away from him, going into the house. Casey thought about going after her, but he just couldn't. Chuck and Sarah would notice.

"Is Alex coming?" Sarah asked him as she settled the table.

"She should be here soon, I was going to call her right now" he said, seeing an opportunity to be inside the house.

Sarah didn't seem to notice and just smiled and nodded. Casey looked for for Ellie and found her in the kitchen.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine" she cut him off

"Ellie…" he trailed off, slowly closing the distance between them.

But as his body came near hers, she held a hand to his chest, not allowing him to move any closer.

"No" she said closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Just tell me what's happening" he asked, caressing her cheek.

Ellie couldn't help the shiver that went through her body as he touched her.

She hadn't been touched like that in a while. Not by Devon, that's for sure. And not by Casey, since she had been avoiding him.

His hands went from her cheeks to her soft lips as his fingers traced them slowly.

"What you want from me, John?" she asked in a low, husky voice.

Casey kissed her neck, right under her ear.

"You" he admitted kissing her earlobe, making her shiver again.

"We can't" she whispered

"We never could" he said putting a strand of hair behind her ear "but it never stopped us."

Before Ellie could protest, Casey hoisted her up and settled her onto the sink counter. The action caught her off guard, the physical contact making her a little lightheaded.

Their lips were dangerously close, and Casey's deep blue eyes were staring into hers, lust burning in his irises.

Casey could feel her hesitation, even though he knew it wasn't going to last much longer. He knew she couldn't resist him, just as he couldn't resist her.

With a small sigh, Ellie gave up the internal fight she was having with herself, and closed the gap between them.

Ellie's full soft lips crashed against his, driving him crazy by the second. He deepened the kiss, running his hands up and down her creamy thighs, feeling her soft skin.

Her moans were silenced by the kiss, as Casey took pleasure in swallowing the little noises she was making in the back of her throat. Their tongues were sliding together, fighting for dominance, turning it into a hot, wet tangle.

In that moment, they forgot about everything. The couple of spies sitting in the backyard. The new found daughter about to arrive. The cheated husband in the porch. None of them mattered at that moment. They didn't care if any of them would walk on them kissing; they weren't minding the consequences of it.

The only thing that did matter was them, together, in that instant.

She crossed her legs around him, holding him against her body. Their mouths released from one another and he started kissing her jaw and down her neck, making her moan as he suckled a particular sensitive spot under her ear.

"God, I missed you" he whispered in her ear, making her close her eyes in satisfaction.

"I missed you too" she confessed "a lot".

Casey smiled into her neck, stroking her inner thigh. She let out a relatively loud moan, which Casey managed to muffle with his lips. She ran her hands trough his hair, slightly pulling it. Casey smiled again; he was turning her on.

However, they were prevented from keeping their teasing games by the doorbell.

"John?" a lovable, feminine voice called his name. Casey immediately recognized his daughter's voice.

He broke the kiss, gasping for air.

"Alex?" he asked, more to himself than to the girl standing outside the door.

Ellie uncrossed her legs, and looked away from him. She got down the skin counter and turned her back at him. Casey thought about saying something to her before answering the door, but the insistent sound of the doorbell made him go to his daughter first.

He opened the door to the twenty year old girl who looked so much like him.

"Hey" she said with a small smile, a little uneasy "is it really ok that I'm here?" She questioned.

"Sure, I'm glad you came" he said sincerely "come in".

He guided her through the house, passing by Ellie in the kitchen. She seemed just fine finishing the potato salad. She was good at covering evidences and anything suspicious. Better than he had given her credit for.

"Hey Alex" Chuck said giving her a wide smile when they reached the backyard "you're just in time for dinner" he said putting a plate with hotdogs on the table.

"Sounds great" she answered with a smile, seeming a little more comfortable.

As Sarah started putting the food on the table, Ellie came from the kitchen to help her out.

Seeing that his daughter was integrated with them, he returned his attention to Ellie. But Ellie was just ignoring him, like she had been doing before. He watched as she sat next to Woodcomb, and called everybody to dinner.

Casey sat across her, observing her every move. She seemed uncomfortable near Devon, and Devon looked annoyed by his wife's presence, which was odd, to say the least.

Although Casey was pretty sure he knew why.

But even with the awkwardness of the couple, dinner went through just fine. Casey kept glancing at Ellie a few times over the course of dinner, but fortunately, the act seemed unacknowledged by the rest of the group.

After dinner, they got ready for the fireworks on the beach. Sarah handed them a few blankets and they headed to the beach, searching for a spot in the crowd were they would be able to get a better view of the fireworks. Chuck and Sarah sat ahead, sharing one blanket and covering themselves with the other.

Casey gave his to Alex so she could sit in the sand and not be cold.

"Are you sure you don't need it?" she asked

Casey gave her a small smile.

"I'm a grown man, I'm sure I can handle some sand and the sea breeze"

Alex smiled back at him.

"So, this is how a marine spends the 4th July?" she asked, suddenly curious.

"Ohh no. This is an exception. I usually spend the holyday in DC, go to the memorials, remember some great Americans who served their country with honor".

"Sounds like fun" she said, really meaning it.

Casey was surprised by his daughter's interest in the US army.

"Maybe we could go next year" Casey suggested.

"I would like that" she said.

"And how do you usually spend the 4th July?" Casey returned the question.

She laughed.

"Mom and I cook dinner, nothing special. And then we watch the parade on TV"

"Sounds like fun" he said, quoting her.

"When I was little, she used to tell me stories about you. How great and brave you were, that you were a hero."

"I'm no hero" he said, startled by the girl's confession.

"To me, you are" she said sincerely.

Casey was wondering what he was going to say next, when Alex spoke again.

"She's upset" she stated looking to someone else.

Casey followed her gaze only to see Ellie. She was sitting alone in the sand.

_Woodcomb is an ass. _He thought to himself. _He left her alone._

"Why do you say that?" Casey asked, trying to not look so worried or interested about Ellie.

"You can tell only by looking at her" Alex said looking at Ellie again "she's easy to read, she's transparent. She doesn't hide her feelings".

"Maybe" he said, still trying to sound not so interested.

But he knew she was right, Ellie was exactly like Alex had described her. She didn't hide her emotions; she wanted people to see it, so they would help her. But apparently, nobody was caring enough about her to actually do it.

Once again, Casey felt guilty. Maybe, he was causing her even more pain by being there, and not actually being there. By being with her, but not being with her when she needed him the most.

"It's the husband" Alex continued her analysis, bringing Casey's attention back to her "he's too busy working he can't pay attention to her, and on his free time he prefers to spend it with radical sports, adrenaline and danger, instead of being there to take care of her. It hurts her she's always in second plan"

Casey was surprised and a little proud his daughter was good in reading signs.

"She just needs someone who really cares about her, who considers her the first choice. Someone who can take care of her. Don't you think?"

Casey said nothing for a few seconds, while he looked back to the person in question.

"I guess there's a good deal of truth on what you just said" he admitted.

"Well, there's a reason why I want to apply for psychology in college" she gushed.

"I think you'd be the first student"

"Maybe I will" she said smiling, and turned her attention to the fireworks that had just started.

They watched in silence for the next few moments, until Alex spoke again.

"Would you mind if we called Ellie to sit with us? She seems so lonely"

"Not at all" Casey said trying to sound normal.

But neither of them moved. Alex stared into her father's eyes.

"I barely know her, you don't expect me to go talk to her, do you?" the girl asked.

Casey sighed.

"You right" he said getting up and moving towards Ellie.

Alex smiled to herself. She knew Casey definitely wasn't easy to read. However, she was proud she could see right through him. He was soft when it came to Eleanor Woodcomb. She knew it from the moment she saw how her dad looked at the brunette doctor, that there was something between them.

She tried to hide her excitement as she saw both of them coming.

"Hey" Ellie said, a little nervous.

"Hey" Alex said with a smile, while she strategically moved so Ellie and Casey would sit next to each other. She knew it was wrong, after all Ellie was _married._ But she just couldn't help herself.

Ellie sat a little uncomfortable next to her, and seemed anxious as Casey sat next to her. Alex started a talk about fireworks and the subject went on, and soon enough, the three of them were laughing of something completely different.

"Hey, Sarah and I were thinking about making a small fire in the backyard so we can have some marshmallows" Chuck said approaching the trio.

"Sounds delicious" Ellie said, turning to her brother.

"We just have one problem, we need to find some wood" Sarah remembered.

"Come on, we can find something to burn" Chuck said

"I can help you" Alex said while getting up.

"I don't think that's a good ide…"

"John, I was a girl scout. I can get some wood without getting hurt" Alex said as she realized he was going to protest.

"I'll take good care of her" Sarah said to her partner.

Chuck, Sarah and Alex went to find some wood, leaving Ellie and Casey alone.

When she was about to get up, he caught her arm, stopping her.

"Don't" he said in a low, deep voice.

She refused to look at him, but sat back in the sand, turning her back at him to avoid eye contact.

"Why are you doing this, Ellie?" he asked.

"Because it's the right thing to do" she whispered.

"Is it because of Devon?"

She snorted. "Devon…This has nothing to do with Devon" she said, turning to finally look at him.

Casey grew worried when he saw the emotion in her eyes. She seemed so vulnerable, so fragile "What's happening, El?" He asked while pulling her closer. She thought about pulling away, but she just couldn't resist him and gave in, leaning against him.

"This has to stop, John…we can't keep doing this" she said in a low voice. But her strong grip on his shirt betrayed her.

"We've been doing this for almost five months…what happened that made you avoid me for the past two months?" he asked, unable to control his frustration.

She sighed and buried her face on his neck.

"Things are different now…"she trailed off.

"How are things different?" he tried to persuade her.

But when she looked at him with a tortured expression, he gave up; she seemed to be suffering, and he didn't want to add more pain to her distress.

"Just hold me" she asked, an in need tone in her voice.

Casey held her tighter, trying to make her feel better. They didn't say anything for the next few minutes, but when Casey felt she was calmer, he loosened his grip on slowly caressed her cheek, and Ellie closed her eyes to the feeling of his touch.

Casey kissed her cheek, her jaw, her lower lip, causing her to immediately open her mouth, allowing their tongues to meet. Their kiss was slow, deep and passionate.

It was so intense Ellie felt safe in his arms. For the first time in the pass feel weeks, it was like nothing bad could happen to her.

It felt so good to be with him, it felt _right_.

_But is not, Eleanor. And you know it._ She thought to herself.

That thought made her pull her lips away from his.

"This is wrong" she said.

"To me, it felt amazingly right" he said in response.

"It is…but it's complicated now"

"Why?" he asked, trying to understand the reason why she was avoiding him "what made it so complicated?"

Ellie whimpered and didn't answer. She seemed to be getting nervous by the second.

"Ellie…" he tried again.

She just whined, trying to hold back some tears. Casey was alarmed by the sight of tears; he did not know how to deal with a crying woman. _Especially Ellie._

"El, calm down…" he said pulling her next to him again, and rubbed her back soothingly. Ellie looked almost physically ill.

But she didn't break down as he expected her to do; she just sat there with her face buried in his neck, as he ran his hand trough her hair.

As he heard Chuck, Sarah and Alex approaching, he gently pulled away from her, trying to not let any evidence about their intimacy.

"Hey guys" Chuck said "we found what we needed" he said with a smile "who wants some marshmallows?"

"Ellie, are you okay?" Sarah asked looking at her sister in law, noticing she looked saddened.

"Yeah, I'm fine...I was just telling John about this woman who came to the ER the other day, and she had this huge industrial needle on her thumb. And the memory just gave me the creeps."

By the expression of the CIA agent, she was fooled by Ellie's excuse, which surprised Casey.

"I hate needles" Alex said with a shudder.

"Hey, guys, let's forget about needles, we have marshmallows" Chuck reminded them.

They went back to the house and Casey and Chuck started de fire as the girls were putting the marshmallows in sticks. They sat around the fire; Casey in between Alex and Ellie.

"Where's Devon?" Chuck asked, unacquainted of his sister's marital problems.

"He's…" she trailed off. She had no idea what her husband was doing.

"He's watching the game, I guess. I just saw him in the living room when I went to get the marshmallows" Alex interfered.

"Ahh… well, Awesome always prefer basketball to marshmallows" Chuck said naively. Ellie tried not to look hurt by her husband's actions.

But there were so many things about him and Casey going through her mind that her head was spinning, so she decided to call it for the night earlier than the others.

Casey gave her a worried look when she got up, but she walked away without looking straight to him again. He sighed and turned his attention back to his daughter, who was telling about her college plans. Alex seemed to be a very decided, strong girl, and Casey was proud of his daughter's self-determination.

The time Casey spent learning more about his daughter kept him from thinking about Ellie. But when the girl left, and he, Chuck and Sarah had cleaned up the backyard, Casey found himself unable to sleep.

He was rolling over the bed for almost one hour; the only thing in his mind was the brunette doctor only a few doors away from his room.

_Her beautiful body against his. Her soft skin. Her full lips. Her moaning in his ear. His hands running over her body. _

The memories of them together were driving him crazy. He needed her, and she needed him. Then why was she running away from him?

_Woodcomb knows. _

It was the only explanation for her behavior.

Casey got out of bed to get a glass of water. _Or maybe some liquor,_ he thought to himself. Maybe some Black Label would do the job.

However, he got into the kitchen to find Ellie standing there; hands in the sink, her back to the door where he was standing.

Casey wasn't the only sleep deprived person in the house. Ellie just couldn't sleep.

Even with Devon sleeping in the small couch they had in the room, she still couldn't manage to close her eyes and rest. Because every time she closed her eyes, the image of a Marine came to her mind.

_His strong hands over her body. His blues eyes burning with desire. His lips kissing her jaw and neck, before capturing her lips in his, starting a searing kiss._

"Ellie?" That strong, beautiful voice brought her back from her thoughts.

She stiffened when realized he was there.

"Are you okay?" he asked seeing her reaction to him.

"Just got thirsty" she said quickly. She shifted her weight, clearly uncomfortable.

Casey took a moment to look at her body. She was wearing a Victoria's Secret pajamas that consisted in a thin tank top and small shorts. The clingy fabric hugs her body showing her beautiful curves.

"What do you want?" she asked, sounding a little ruder than she intended.

"Got thirsty, just like you"

She nodded her head and still didn't move from her position.

"Ellie, we can't keep avoiding each other like that" he said in a firm tone "let's just talk about it and find a decent solution".

"You right" she said.

Casey realized that she was tense, that something was off, because she hadn't looked at him yet.

"Ellie, look at me" he asked, but she didn't move "Look at me" he tried again.

"Just go away" she pleaded, still not moving from her position.

"No" he said in a rough tone "_Look__. at. me_" he demanded.

Defeated, she took a deep breath and turned to stare at him. Their eyes met and Casey saw thick tears forming in her green orbs.

"What's wrong?" he asked unaware of the reason why she was crying.

But when he moved towards her, his eyes fell to her body and he stared at her stomach. He stepped away, his eyes still fixed in her small, almost imperceptible baby bump.

"Y-you…You're…" he tried to say something, but he couldn't think.

Ellie just nodded, as she let out the tears she had been holding back.

Casey exhaled out loud "You're _pregnant_".

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**A/N**: So, what you guys think? Should I continue or just leave it that way? And thanks for reading :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hey guys, I'm back. Thank you for the reviews, it really encouraged me to come back here and publish the second chapter.

So, let's ignore the events of season 4,okay?

I hope you still find it interesting, I'm doing my best :) This chapter is small, but I promise chapter three will be better.

Enjoy !

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Casey was still staring at Ellie.

"Is it…Devon's?" he maneged to ask, not knowing what answer he wanted to hear.

"Devon and I…we…we hadn't…" She choked, not able to form a coherent sentence.

But Casey knew. He knew they hadn't had sex in…a while.

_You and her, however…_

"I'm so sorry" she said in between her sobs.

Casey looked at her bump again and then straight to her eyes. When he saw the wounded look on her face, he realized he was across the room, as far away from her as he could be.

_Moron, you can't practically run away from her !_

He slowly approached her, not knowing how to react to the news.

"Ellie…" he started, but was silent again at the sound of steps upstairs "Look, someone is coming" he warned her "go to my room. We'll talk then, ok?" he asked, his voice becoming softer at each word, trying to reassure her.

She nodded and let out another sob.

"Everything is going to be ok" he tried again, seeing she was still pretty shaken up.

She nodded again and left the kitchen.

Before he could even breathe, Sarah was already in the kitchen. He heard his bedroom door close and sighed in relief; it was a complicated situation and he didn't want anybody else involved in it for now.

"What are you doing here?" Sarah asked a little drowsy when she noticed his presence.

"You are the only one allowed to drink water at night, Walker?" he taunted her.

"You have an incredible sense of humor at this time in the morning" she said a little annoyed.

Casey grunted and poured him and Sarah a glass of water, trying to make his excuse plausible.

"What are you hiding, Casey?" the blonde agent asked, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"There's something going on" she continued

"There's nothing going on"

"Is it about Alex?"

"Not that is any of your business, but there's nothing wrong with Alex" he said with a small groan.

"I'm an agent just like you Casey…don't underestimate me" she said in a serious tone.

He only grunted in response.

"Fine, we can play this your way… But I'll find out eventually" she said, leaving him alone in the kitchen.

Casey sighed.

He would deal with Walker later; now he had to deal with the beautiful frightened woman in his room.

He entered the room and saw Ellie sitting in the end of the bed, looking more terrified than ever.

When she saw him, she was overflowed by a hysteria she just couldn't control.

Casey sat next to her, and held her tight in his strong arms "Calm down, Ellie" he said as she started to cry again "it's gonna be ok".

She tried to say something, but she couldn't. Her sobs rocked her body, and she buried her face into his chest as the tears streamed down her face.

Casey kept holding her and running his hands down her back and hair, trying to make her stop crying. After a few minutes, she stopped sobbing, and he whipped the remaining tears from her face. But he kept her in his arms, and she didn't seem to want him to let her go.

"I didn't meant for it to happen" she whispered "I'm _so _sorry, John" she said with a shudder.

"I know" he said kissing the crown of her head "I could never blame you"

"I don't know how it happened…I swear I didn't mea… "

"El, quit apologizing. If it happened I'm as guilty as you are" he said, and she pulled away to look into his eyes. She smiled a little as what she saw wasn't hate or despise. She saw compassion, kindness, concern and…_love?_

She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. Casey reached for her hand, slowly lacing his fingers to hers.

"How far along are you?" he asked, a little awkward about it.

"Seventeen weeks" she said in a low tone.

"Seventeen? When did you find out?"

"Two months ago" she admitted.

Two months. The exact time she had been avoiding him._ It makes sense now._

"You should have told me. You didn't have to go through all this by yourself".

Ellie sighed "I think I was in denial. I didn't want to admit it to myself, let alone tell anyone else" she said in a sad voice.

"Are you scared?" he asked, gently squeezing her hand.

"Terrified" she said, new tears forming in her eyes.

He held her once more, trying to calm her down. He always had a hard time dealing with tears, and he was nervous he couldn't get her to stop crying.

"Ellie, calm down. It's not good for you to be that nervous" he said as he tried to shush her "it's going to be ok".

"How is everything going to be ok? Nothing seems ok right now" she said, her voice thick with tears.

"But it will, I promise" he said, a deep, secure tone in his voice.

She nodded and he held her tighter.

"Stop crying, you'll make yourself sick" he said rubbing her back soothingly.

She took a deep breath and tried to control her tears.

"What are going to do?" she asked, insecure.

"We'll find a way out" he assured her.

Ellie sighed.

"Soon people will start to notice" she said "how am I suppose to explain this to them? They'll never understand why this baby is not Devon's"

The sound of the word 'baby' sent a chill down Casey's spine. In less than a year, from no children at all he became father of two.

"What will people think about me at work?" she questioned.

"Ignore them" Casey said simply "it won't be easy at first, but we have way more important things to think about, don't you think?" he asked, reaching for her hand again.

"You right" she said squeezing his hand.

He gave her an encouraging smile and she smiled back.

"Does Devon know?" he asked, and Ellie's smile disappeared. Casey immediately regretted his question.

"Yeah, he found out a couple of weeks ago" Ellie answered before Casey could apologize "we live together, so it was becoming kind of obvious…"

"That's why his attitude towards you changed, right?"

"Yeah, since then he started to look at me like I was…" she evaded with a sigh.

Casey could see she didn't want to talk about Devon's reaction to her pregnancy.

"I'll talk to him" Casey said, trying to make her feel better.

"I don't know how that's going to make things any better…and as you said, now I have something more important to think about." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath "Chuck is going to be furious" she said, her voice saddened.

"Chuck is going to have to deal with it, 'cause I'm not going anywhere" he kissed her forehead. Ellie took a deep breath, a small smile playing in her lips.

"Good, because I need you now" she said.

Casey slowly kissed her lips, gently running his hands through her hair.

Ellie broke the kiss and looked into Casey's deep blue eyes. He rested his forehead in hers.

"What are you thinking?" he asked in a soft voice.

"A lot of things…and they make me nervous" she admitted.

He slowly caressed her cheek, and she sighed. She had already sighed so many times Casey began to worry if she was just tired, or if she was really that frustrated about everything.

"Come on, you need some air" he said getting up, and guiding her to the balcony.

They stayed there in silence for a few minutes, and Ellie looked at the ocean, letting her mind wonder. In some way the reflection of the moon made her calmer.

She felt Casey's strong arms around her waist, gently pulling her body against his. She laid her head on his shoulder and he kissed her cheek. Casey grinned as he felt Ellie was relaxed is his arms.

"Better?" he questioned

"Yeah…thanks for that" she said with a small smile.

She turned her attention back at the moon and sighed.

"What's with all the sighs, El?" Casey asked, trying to sound gentile "tell me what's bothering you"

"I don't know for sure" she started "I think it's everything. Chuck and Devon lying to me, being manipulated by Justin, discovering this entire CIA thing, my father's death, you and me, this pregnancy… It's just confusing and overwhelming. I feel like I'm lost"

"Hey…" he said as he kindly turned her around so she could face him "don't worry about that anymore, ok?" he said.

She nodded and he pulled her closer.

"Look, you've been through so much in the past few months, and you dealt with it in the best way possible. It has to mean something, don't you think?"

"Well, I had the help of one of my neighbors" she said quietly.

Casey gave a small laugh, and she smiled.

"No, I didn't do that much. You have willpower, Ellie. That's what helped you go through all this, not me."

"No, it was you. You did for me what nobody else did. You showed me were to find this willpower. I couldn't have done it without you" she said, looking at him.

He kissed her forehead.

"Yes you could" he guaranteed her.

"For what is worth, I'm happy I didn't go through all this alone" she said, softly kissing his lips.

She pulled away and looked down at her bump.

"I'm still lost about this" she said, her hands going to her womb.

"You don't need to worry about that either. I'll help you find the way; I'll be in this path with you. All the way through. I promise."

She let out a long sigh, and Casey knew it was in relief.

He slowly kissed her, sealing his promise and reassuring her he was telling the truth.

"It's late, you must be tired" he said as soon as they broke the kiss.

"You mind if I stay here tonight?" she asked; Ellie didn't want to be in the same room as Devon, it was too uncomfortable.

"Not at all" he answered.

"John…" she started, sounding insecure "I know this isn't the best time or the best circumstance for this to happen but…" she took a deep breath "I don't regret it" she softly touched her womb "Any of it".

Casey could see a hint of a smile in her lips, and the tenderness with which she caressed her stomach showed her love for their unborn child.

_Their child. _The prospect made his heart rate speed up.

"I don't regret it either" he said with a small smile.

* * *

**A/N**: Aren't they the cutest? Next, Chuck finds out the truth. Read&Review guys :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hey guys. I'm SO sorry about the delay in this chapter, but the end of the semester is approaching (school year here is a bit different) and college is driving me crazy. Not to mention writer's block :(

But after a long time, here it is. I hope you like it :)

Thanks for the lovely reviews. Special thanks to Sunshineali for advising me to get a beta, and to P.J. Murphy for being my beta and doing an amazing job in making my story better.

Enjoy!

* * *

"How'd you sleep?" Casey asked her with a smile as soon as her eyes fluttered open.

Ellie felt delighted at the sight of him smiling at her. She knew that, besides Alex, she was the only one at whom he genuinely smiled.

"I haven't slept that well in two months," she answered while stretching, and the smile on her face lit up the still-darkened room.

"Good." He gently ran his fingers through her hair.

"You'll make me fall asleep again," she said with a yawn.

"So?" he teased while still playing with her hair.

She laughed. "I have to go. I don't want Devon to wake up and see I'm not there. He'd figure out what I was doing and probably make a scene." she said as she bit her lower lip.

"Devon," he said with a small grunt. He was _jealous_. _Who knew, Colonel?_

"And I don't want to risk someone seeing me like…this. These pajamas don't hide it very well…it would cause an even bigger scene."

"You're right," he conceded, even though he didn't want her to leave.

He slowly leaned to kiss her again, and she welcomed his lips as they touched hers, starting a deep, slow kiss.

"I really have to go," she said as they parted lips.

"I know," he said before kissing her again and caressing her soft skin.

"John…" she said lazily when they broke the kiss again.

"I know. You have to go," he replied, kissing her forehead before getting up.

Ellie got up as well and sighed.

"What's the matter?" he asked her.

"Being alone with Devon is really…awkward."

"I understand." He wrapped his arms around her "We'll work this entire thing out. Soon."

"Good," she said, placing a small kiss on his neck.

He kept her in his arms for several moments before she pulled away. He gave her his black robe in case someone was at the hall. He walked her to the door, and both of them looked down the hallway, making sure nobody was there. She quickly kissed him on the lips before leaving the room. But before she could walk more than a few steps, he held her arm to keep her there. She smiled at him.

"We're pushing our luck, John!" She pleaded in protest as Casey pulled her back to his arms.

"I know," he whispered as he pressed her against the door.

Casey held her face in his hands as his strong lips connected with hers in an intense wave of want and desire. It was a desire Ellie also felt, as she eagerly kissed him back, letting his robe hang loose over her so she could press her body into his muscular form. Soon they were fighting for dominance as their lips crashed against each other and their tongues danced inside their joined mouths.

They were so caught in the heat of the moment, neither of them noticed the blonde woman watching them in shock. Sarah slowly stepped away from them and went back to her room. She knew Ellie and Devon were having problems, but she was still having difficulty processing this.

_Casey and Ellie…together? _

"You OK?" Chuck asked coming out of the bathroom.

Sarah was startled. "You're up!"

"Yeah, I was showering…Sarah, is everything alright? You were staring at the door."

"No, everything is fine…" she said with a smile.

"Weren't you going to get us some coffee?" he inquired.

"Yeah, I was going to…but then I realized I was still in my pajamas, so I came back to put some clothes on." She tried to sound convincing, but she couldn't lie to Chuck like she used to. Chuck didn't look fooled by his girlfriend's excuse.

He took her hands. "OK, I know you're hiding something. Whatever it is, just promise if something about it goes wrong, you'll tell me."

"OK." She tried to keep her best poker face on. _Believe me, Chuck, you don't want to know,_ she thought to herself.

At breakfast, Sarah closely watched the exchange of glances between Ellie and Casey.

How come she didn't see it before? They were just looking at each other, trying to make the act unnoticed by the rest of the table. However, she knew it.

_And it doesn't make sense! _her mind screamed

"I'm going out for a run, babe." Devon casually announced, trying his best to make it look natural. And then he just left. No kiss, nothing. As Sarah thought about the past few months, she realized this had been happening for quite a while. But she also realized Devon didn't seem to notice how close his wife and the NSA agent were.

_How had she not noticed it before? How come Chuck never realized it? __And again, what the hell is happening here?_

After Devon left, Ellie started a conversation Sarah wasn't really paying attention to. She was busy watching the interaction between Casey and Ellie. And just when it couldn't get any more surprising, Casey gave her quite a shock.

Casey smiled at Ellie. _Truly smiled_.

Sarah had seen Casey smile like that to only one other woman. That person was twenty years younger than him and shared half his DNA. Besides Alex, Casey never genuinely smiled at anyone else. Until now. Until Ellie. Chuck's sister. Chuck's _married _sister

She was surprised Chuck didn't realized what was happening at the moment Casey smiled. Why he seemed to be the only one who couldn't see what was happening?

And when did this happen?

She needed some answers and she was going to get them.

"Casey, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked as casually as she could to not arouse suspicions with anyone else. Casey only gave her a questioning look.

"Please, Casey?" she insisted.

With a low grunt, he excused himself from the table and followed her, leaving the two Bartowskis exchanging confused glances.

"What is it, Walker?" Casey asked when they were out in the backyard.

"What were you doing this morning? Why, _why _were you kissing Ellie?" she asked without hiding her discomfiture.

"What are you talking…"

"DON'T! Do not offend my intelligence! Don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about! I saw you two kissing!" Sarah had never been more disgusted with her partner.

"Fine, what you want me to say, Walker? Yes, we were kissing, is that it?"

"No! She's married! Why in the hell were you kissing her if she's married?"

Casey was overwhelmed by her anger. He sighed in frustration. How was he supposed to explain what happened between him and Ellie to Sarah? Casey wasn't really sure of what happened himself.

Sarah noticed Casey's demeanor. Her stance softened a bit, and her voice lost a bit of its edge. "What is going on?"

"It all started after Stephen's death," he started. "She was hurting, nobody was paying attention to her, she needed someone, and I was there."

The concept of anybody coming to Casey to be comforted was completely foreign to Sarah. "You? Out of all people she came to you? What about Chuck? What about _Devon_?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, they were really helping a lot," he retorted with considerable derision. "If they were actually taking care of her, she wouldn't need my help. Besides, she and Devon weren't getting along since he found out about the Intersect and started lying to her. She lost her trust in him long before she came to me."

"This…this is insane." Sarah was getting more and more confused about the whole situation.

"She needed someone who was actually willing to listen to her. She came to me for help, one thing lead to another and…" he trailed off.

"OK, this is too much to information to get in 30 seconds." Sarah visibly shook. "What are you guys going to do?"

"I don't know…we didn't exactly had time to figure things out."

"Chuck is going to freak out! Have you even thought about what Beckman will say if she finds out about this? You and the sister of the Intersect!"

"Look, Walker, can you please keep this between us? Don't tell anybody, especially Chuck. Ellie will tell him when she's ready, OK?"

"This seems wrong…"

"But it's not. Sarah, please."

Sarah's anger abated as she looked at her partner. He rarely called her Sarah, but she knew when he did, the situation was serious.

"Fine, but both of you need to work this out. Fast. Really fast."

"I know," he said with a sigh, and for a split second Sarah saw sorrow in her partner's eyes. But as quickly as it came, it was gone with a low grunt when the Marine saw the compassionate look the blonde agent gave him.

* * *

Two days later, Ellie was unpacking in her room while Devon was separating the whites out of the dirty laundry. They had discovered they could work together, as long as they didn't have to talk to each other.

_So far, so good, _she thought to herself. Ellie was happy they were being civilized and maybe, with some time, they could even be friends after the divorce.

"What's this?" Devon asked, bringing her back from her thoughts.

She looked at him to see him holding a black robe and froze. Devon was holding John's black robe.

Ellie bit her bottom lip while trying to think carefully about the proper response. It was not the best move she could have made. She saw Devon's expression change; he frowned and narrowed his eyes in sudden realization.

"John Casey?"

* * *

Casey was about to start trimming his baby bonsai tree when the screaming across the courtyard startled him. Fortunately, he pulled the shears back before clipping a branch.

He grunted before going to the window to peek at the source of his annoyance. However, as he came near the window, he recognized the voices in question. He could make out the anger, the accusations, and the pain in the screaming voices. He could also hear Ellie's cry.

And it made him feel guilty.

He opened the door with the intention of going to the Woodcomb residence and defending Ellie from whatever Devon was accusing her, when another door at the complex opened and a very confused Chuck came out to the courtyard.

"What's happening in there?" he asked going towards the door. But before he could reach the door and knock, Sarah stopped him.

"Chuck, it's a couple's fight. I don't think you should meddle." But Ellie and Devon were fighting at such a loud decibel Chuck was certain something was very wrong.

Chuck turned to Casey. "Do you know what this is about?"

Sarah gave Casey a look in the hopes he would explain himself.

"Why are you asking me, Bartoswki?" he asked, practically stuttering the question.

"Well, I know you took the cameras away, but you still have the surveillance audio on their house, don't you?"

Casey relaxed and was about to give some lame excuse when the door opened and Devon stormed out. The trio looked at the suitcase the doctor was holding, and while Chuck seemed even more confused, Sarah shot Casey a worried look.

Chuck tried to block Devon's path and make sense out of the situation. "Awesome, wait! Where are you going? What's happening?"

"Ask your sister, Chuck," Devon spat out in the angriest tone Chuck had ever seen him use. Devon stared daggers at Casey and tossed him his black robe. "I believe that is yours."

He left without another word.

"What the…" Chuck started looking back and forth between Casey and the departing Devon, but Casey ignored him and went into the house.

Ellie was standing in the middle of the room. There were tears streaming down her cheeks, and her hands were protectively over her stomach.

"Ellie, I'm so sorry," Casey said as he held her in his arms. Ellie buried her face in his chest as her emotions overtook her. Casey slowly stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. He gave her forehead a gentle kiss. "I'm sorry, Ellie. I'm so sorry.".

Her tears eventually subsided, and she calmed down. She held him tightly and was about to say something when Chuck rushed into the room.

"Ellie…oh my God, what happened? Why did Devon…" The young nerd stopped mid-sentence at the sight of his sister in John Casey's arms.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?"

When neither of them answered Sarah intervened.

"OK Chuck, I need you to stay calm and be really open-minded about this," she said gently, looking deeply into her boyfriend's eyes.

"Sarah," Chuck seethed through gritted teeth, "if what I think it's happening is really happening, I won't be open-minded _at all_!"

"Chuck," Sarah repeated in a tone far less gentle. "Please keep calm."

"Look, Bartowski…" Casey started

"You stay quiet!" Chuck was at a full boil with Casey. "I don't want to hear ANYTHING you have to say!"

"Chuck, can we explain?" Ellie asked in an attempt to get her brother to understand their situation.

"And you!" Chuck turned on his sister. "What the hell are you thinking? Did you just throw your marriage, your entire life away, because of a killer like Casey? What's the matter with you?"

Casey only grunted at the 'offenses,' mainly out of a sense of guilt. Ellie, however, gave up trying to be calm.

"What's the matter with me, Chuck? You want to know what my problem is?" She stepped back from Casey so she could get in Chuck's face. "My problem is the two people I trusted the most lied to me. My problem is that because of that lie I was manipulated. My problem is that my father, _our_ father, was murdered! And even after that you and Devon kept lying to me…"

"We didn't keep lying to you!"

"Oh no? If I remember, instead of letting me grieve, instead of letting me mourn my father's death, you and Devon just kept saying 'It's OK, Ellie.' or 'It will be alright, babe.' You wouldn't talk to me; you and Devon just kept shoving that crap in my face!"

"Ellie…"

"And guess what, Chuck? It's was not OK! And I tried to tell you I was definitely NOT OK, and neither of you would listen to me! You only forced me to be strong for you, to put a smile on my face and pretend everything was fine. But it wasn't! I couldn't pretend it didn't hurt me! And John was the _only one_ who saw it. The only one who actually listened to me! Who actually cared about me!"

Ellie was trembling and new tears stated to form in her eyes.

"Ellie please, please calm down," Casey said as he reached for her hand; he was suddenly worried about how the stress of the situation could be harmful for her and the baby.

"Sarah, could you take Ellie inside? Chuck and I need to have a little chat," he said to his partner.

"Sure. Come on, Ellie." Sarah took Ellie's hand and gently guided Ellie towards her room.

Casey waited until both of them were out of sight before turning to Chuck, who was staring at him with anger.

"Your bad boy face doesn't scare me, Bartowski. But now that you sister is not in the room, you can yell at me all you want."

Chuck's face turned red.

"What did you do to her, huh? Is this some kind of brainwash? Did you drug her or something? Is that some weird spy thing you use to manipulate people?" he asked, a little too loudly, to Casey.

"Is that it? Are you finished?" the Marine asked with an impatient tone

"NO! The hell I'm finished with this! What's wrong with you? MY SISTER? MY MARRIED SISTER? Why did you ruin her marriage?"

"Devon ruined their marriage, not me. You've known me for three years, Bartowski. You know I would never do such a thing. Your sister's marriage was already ruined when she came to me."

"NO! They were just fine! I don't get how this happened. It has to be your fault," the younger man accused.

"Oh yeah, they were doing great. Things couldn't be better." Casey was starting to run out of patience. "Ellie said it herself, nothing was _fine._ You and her moronic husband wanted it to be fine so you just ignored what she was going through. No wonder why she asked for my help."

"Stop saying she turned to you for support!"

"But she did. You two idiots couldn't see she was in pain, and I was the one who actually realized she was hurting. She was confused, she was grieving, she was scared, she was being ignored, and she was in pain. She needed someone and I was there. So if you want to blame someone, blame Devon for not realizing it. Or look in the mirror. You find someone there to blame, too."

The two men kept staring at each other in silence until Sarah entered the room and walked towards the kitchen.

"How is she doing?" Casey asked.

"She's still a little scared," Sarah replied while fixing a glass of water. She walked up to Casey and stared into eyes. "And is there something else to this story you didn't tell me?"

Casey sighed and discreetly motioned to Chuck with his head, and Sarah understood Chuck was not aware of his sister's new condition.

"That's quite a mess you guys got yourselves into." She looked between Casey and her boyfriend, who was now staring at the window in pure dissatisfaction.

"Good luck." The blonde agent left the room, leaving Casey and Chuck alone again.

"Look Bartowski…_Chuck_… I'm not messing around with Ellie. I do care about her, and I would never hurt her…" he trailed off. It was really awkward talking about his feelings. Especially with Chuck.

"I need to talk to my sister," Chuck said, ignoring Casey's last statement and walking towards Ellie's room.

"Wait," Casey called him.

"What? Now you're going to forbid me from talking to her?"

"No. Just don't be so harsh on her."

Chuck snorted. "You have no right to tell me what to do. She needs to hear some truth, and she needs to hear it now."

"Chuck…" Casey closed the distance between them and put on a look that would scare an entire battalion of cadets. "I mean it. If you want to yell at someone, yell at me. I have no problem with that. But be nice to her."

Chuck guffawed and turned on his heel to continue walking towards the room.

Casey sighed. He had no choice. "She's pregnant, Chuck."

Chuck turned around and stared at Casey.

"Please, it's not good for her to be under so much stress." The beseeching tone in Casey's voice surprised Chuck. And then it clicked. He didn't want to contemplate the possibility.

"Casey… please tell me this baby is _Devon__'s!_"he pleaded with his eyes closed. When the Marine didn't answer, Chuck opened his eyes and was surprised by Casey's expression. It wasn't the usual cold deathly spy façade. It was a confused, highly emotional expression. It was an expression Chuck had only seen once: when Casey discovered he had a daughter.

"I can't believe this," Chuck said, closing his eyes again. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Bartowski, please. Ellie really could use your support now. You're the only family she has." Casey's voice was quiet, but it was as solemn as Chuck ever heard from him. "She needs you now. I know you're mad, but please be mad at me. Don't take it out on her. She deserves that much. She can't afford to lose her brother."

Chuck stared into the NSA operative's eyes for a few seconds before Ellie's voice caught his attention.

"Chuck, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked, and her nervousness was obvious. "Please?"

Chuck sighed. "Sure." He followed his sister back to her room under the apprehensive looks of Casey and Sarah.

The two siblings stared at each other until Ellie broke the silence. "Chuck, please try to understand, we didn't plan this…us. It just sort of happened. And we can't deny it anymore."

Despite his hatred of Casey, Chuck did what he asked and kept his voice soft. "I really am trying to understand, Ellie. But it's…I…it's just _wrong_, Ellie."

"He really was one of the best things that happened to me after Dad died. He really helped me Chuck. I didn't want to fall for him, but I did. I'm in love with him. And I know he cares about me too."

"He's a cold blood killer, Ellie."

"So is Sarah."

Chuck exhaled in frustration. He just couldn't argue with that.

"Can I just ask you one thing?" Ellie nodded her consent. "Does he really mean that much to you?"

Ellie looked into her brother's eyes. "Yes, he does." Chuck sighed, and Ellie grabbed his hand. "Look, you have to trust me with this. Please, Chuck. I could really use my brother right now. I really need you…I'm…I'm pregnant."

Chuck looked at the ground and squeezed her hand. "I know". He exhaled slowly and looked at her again. "I'm here for you. I promise."

Ellie smiled and hugged her brother tightly. "Thanks, baby brother. It means a lot to me."

Chuck smiled. "If this will make you happy, then I'll do whatever I can to help. And I'm so sorry I didn't do more to be there for you. It just I tried to keep all of this away from you, to keep you from harm, and…

Tears formed in Ellie's eyes, and her grip on Chuck increased to the point of breaking bones. "Thank you. I should have realized you would always try to do what was best for our family."

Casey quietly slipped down the hall after hearing very little from the conversation. He saw Chuck and Ellie holding each other on her bed. Sarah took a quick peek and smiled. She took Casey's hand and led him back to the living room.

"There's a lot ahead of us, isn't there," Casey said softly.

Sarah nodded. "But the important thing is we handle all of it together. Whatever happens, we stay together."

Casey nodded in agreement. "That I promise." He gave the same smile Sarah saw on him the other day and Chuck saw a few minutes ago. "Thanks, Sarah."

She smiled. "I gotta have my partner's back, right?"

Casey smiled. She always did.

* * *

**A/N:** So, what you think? Reviews help me so much, and make me so happy... ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hey guys, I hope you had a great Christmas. Sorry _again_ for the delay. Finals and holidays kept me busy. But here it is, and I hope you like it.

Thanks for the reviews, and especial thanks to Jayne Casey, my lovely beta :)

Enjoy !

* * *

Ellie was nervously taping her fingers on the counter as she looked sideways to the clock, and Casey couldn't help but notice her distress.

"What's wrong, El?" he asked as he gently rubbed her arms and pulled her closer against him.

"Devon will be here soon," she said, glancing at the recently signed divorce papers settled in front of her. "I don't wanna argue again."

The prospect of having to hear Devon's accusations and the sadness in his voice made Ellie nervous.

"Relax, Ellie. I'm sure he's calmer today and you'll be able to talk and solve this the best way possible."

Ellie rested her head against his shoulder "You really think so?"

"Yeah." He kissed her cheek. "I do."

Ellie turned around so she could face him. Even wearing his Buy More green polo shirt he still had the military stance Ellie found so irresistible.

She smiled at him as her arms went around his neck and she softly brushed her lips against his, pressing her body against his sculptured body.

Casey teasingly kissed her bottom lip. "Trying to seduce me at this time in the morning, Eleanor?"

"Maybe," she confessed, slightly blushing. She snuggled closer to him and Casey chuckled; he knew was she was trying to do.

Pregnancy was making her highly hormonal, and that could alternate between her being happy, sad, needy or _aroused_; the last one being the most frequent in the past few days. It was becoming normal having her trying to stall him when he had to go to work.

He slowly kissed her. "You know, nuzzling against me when I'm about to leave…it's not fair."

She gave him a wicked smile. "I just want you to stay a little longer, is that so bad?"

He kissed the tip of her nose. "No, but it's hard for me to leave with you all over me." He ran his hand through her hair. "I really have to go."

Ellie whimpered in disapproval.

"I'll be back by the time your shift is over," he assured her as he gently slipped out of her grip. "Sound good for you?"

Casey knew absolutely nothing about pregnancy and mood swings, so he did his best to make her happy.

Ellie bit her lip but soon gave him a smile. "Yeah, sounds fair. Will you be back after your Buy More shift?"

"Actually, I'm meeting Alex after work." His expression changed into a small smile as he mentioned Alex's name and Ellie couldn't help but smile too.

"Are you telling her about us?" she asked.

"Yeah, I want to be the one to tell her before someone else does."

Ellie nodded in understanding. "Well, it looks like both of us have a busy day."

Casey kissed her forehead. "Indeed. Keep me posted?"

She nodded. "Absolutely."

* * *

"What about now?" Casey discretely asked to his watch.

Sarah sighed in annoyance. "Nothing changed since the last time you asked, which was, what, five seconds ago?"

She looked back at the screen; everything seemed just fine. Ellie, Devon and their lawyer were simply talking.

"Are you sure she's ok?" Casey insisted.

Sarah was starting to lose her patience. "Yes, Casey I'm sure. They are just talking like the civilized adults they are."

"Are you completely sure she's…"

"Casey, stop! I told you she's fine, now go back to work before someone realizes you've been talking to your watch for the past half an hour."

Casey grunted but did what he was told; he concentrated on doing his cover job for twenty minutes without calling Sarah again.

However, as two boys started fighting over a Wii remote, Casey lost his patience and his concentration. The Marine just ignored the children and called Sarah via his watch.

When she didn't answer him, he decided to go to Castle and supervise Ellie himself.

Sarah was reading a magazine when she realized Casey's presence. She only sighed at his insistence.

"Does she even know you turned the cameras back on?" she asked not looking up from her magazine.

He turned on the monitors in Ellie's house. "Of course she does."

"She's a big girl, you know. I'm sure she can handle it on her own," Sarah said.

Casey didn't answer, just kept looking at the monitors. After watching the monitors closely for ten more minutes, he sat in a chair next to Sarah.

Sarah looked up from her magazine and stared at Casey. "Why are you so worried?"

"I just want to make sure she's ok."

Sarah looked at the monitors. "They are just talking…what bad thing could happen?" Casey only grunted in response and they remained silent until Chuck entered the room.

"What's he doing here?" Chuck asked, glancing at Casey.

Sarah turned another page of her magazine. "He's stalking your sister," she said in a boring tone.

"Why?"

"I don't know…I think he thinks that Devon is going to stress her out," she said.

Chuck's brows furrowed.

He looked at Casey's worried expression and back to the monitor, where Ellie and Devon were talking in private. He looked back at the NSA agent; his shoulders were tensed and his jaw was tightened, an unusual posture for Casey. Looking once more at the screen and seeing his sister talk to her soon to be ex – husband, Chuck realized it.

A smirk showed up on his face.

"That's not what he's worried about!" he said in a mock tone.

"It's not?" Sarah asked, confused.

Casey let out a low grunt.

"It's not… Sugar Bear here is worried my sister's going to come to her senses and realize what a huge mistake she was making and give up the divorce. Am I right, Johnny-boy?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Bartowski!" Casey barked, his face turning red.

Sarah tried not to laugh. Chuck was right and the scarlet tone on Casey's face made it clear how anxious he was about the situation.

"I think I hit a nerve, huh Casey?" Chuck mocked him again. "Never took you for an insecure type of guy."

When Casey caught Chuck by the shirt collar and lifted him off his feet, Sarah had to intervene. "Ok, both of you stop, right now!"

Casey's rage blackout faded and he let go of Chuck.

"That's better," the blond girl said. "Now, the two of you really should go back to work. You have a cover and you _must_ sell it."

Chuck looked at Casey again. "Whatever…" he said with a laugh, and left the room.

Casey grunted again.

"You…behave," Sarah demanded.

Casey glanced at the screen one last time. Sarah followed his gaze to the image of Ellie and Devon talking. For a moment, she felt sorry him. He always had this strong, fearless and cold attitude and Sarah knew it was hard for him to deal with such intense feelings.

"She's in love with you, Casey. You don't have to worry about it," she tried to reassure him. Casey only stared at his partner for a few seconds before turning off the screen and walking away.

* * *

"When do you think we lost…us? What we had?" Devon finally found courage enough to ask the question that had been lingering between them for a while now.

"I'm not sure," Ellie said with a sigh.

She couldn't tell if the lies were the problem or if it was just the cherry on top of her frustrations caused by multiple weekends she spent alone while Devon was doing something thrilling with his frat friends instead of spending some time with her.

"Maybe if we hadn't gone to Africa…" Devon said in a sad tone.

"What would have changed?" Ellie asked with her voice only above a whisper.

She knew this was going to be hard for both of them.

"We wouldn't have met Justin. Maybe, you'd have never been manipulated by him. Maybe your father would be alive and maybe, just maybe," he looked up from his glass of water to look into her eyes, "I wouldn't have lost you."

"Maybe," she repeated.

But both of them knew things between them weren't the same since before they went to Africa. Devon had already been lying to her before that, and it put an enormous strain on their marriage.

Devon sighed. "If I had realized what you were going through…" he trailed off.

She sighed. "If I had insisted more in trying to make you see it, I wouldn't have turned to John for support."

At this, Devon stared into her eyes again.

"I just…I tried to tell you, but you weren't listening. And I was too hurt about you lying to me I…I couldn't bring myself to trust that you'd understand me. I couldn't bring myself to trust you at all." Ellie looked away from him as she said the last words.

"I'm sorry I made you doubt that." He reached for her hand. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry about all this."

Ellie squeezed his hand.

"I'm sorry about all this, too," she said, her voice thick with the tears she was holding back.

"I was trying to protect you, Ellie," he said in a low tone. "All I could think about were ways to keep you safe. Chuck said the less you knew about it, the better. So that's what I did, for your own good."

"And I'll always be grateful for that. I know you were thinking about keeping me safe. I know that _now._" She gave him a sad smile.

Devon tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "But…?"

"But…" she started, "when I realized it, it was already too late. Our relationship was already jeopardized to a point where there was no turning back." She wiped her tears and took a deep breath.

Devon got up the couch and turned his back at her as he ran his hands through his hair in an attempt to control his emotions.

When he looked at her again, she was slowly caressing her stomach, as if it would soothe the baby and herself.

"That's different from what I had imagined," he said with a sigh, bringing Ellie's attention back to him.

"What do you mean?" she asked, not knowing what he was talking about. He looked at her baby bump with a sad smile.

"I've pictured you like that several times in my head," he said, "and I always thought that when I'd see you like that you would be pregnant with _my_ child."

There was soreness in his voice and Ellie could see tears forming in his eyes.

"Me too," she admitted in such a low tone that she didn't know if he had heard it or not.

Devon wiped his eyes before a tear could slip. "I never thought I would divorce you."

Ellie just couldn't hide her tears anymore. "Me neither," she managed to choke out.

Devon sat beside her on the couch and held her hand once more.

"You know, I still love you," he said as he ran his hand gently through her hair.

Ellie gave him a sad smile. "I love you, too. Not in the same way I did before, but I do."

He nodded. "I know." He looked into her gray eyes. "I want you to be happy, ok?" he said as he wiped her tears.

"You too," she said in between her sobs.

He tenderly kissed her forehead before heading to the door.

Ellie numbly rested against the couch as all the plans, dreams and expectations she'd had for the past few years with Devon started to run through her mind.

It took her a little while until she could cope with the idea that those plans were no longer significant. She took a deep breath as new images started to flow in her mind, slowly building a new outlook for her life. And all of her new aspirations included a Marine and a beautiful baby with blue eyes and dark hair.

At the thought of it, her hands automatically moved to her stomach. She smiled broadly. "I have a feeling you'll look just like your father."

* * *

Casey had just closed a big sale when his phone rang. It was just a text message from Ellie; 'Signed, sealed, delivered' was all it said. At the short message, Casey started to wonder how she was dealing with the situation.

"Ellie?" he asked as soon as she answered the phone.

"John," she said in a comforted tone.

"Are you okay?" he worriedly asked. "How'd it go?"

"It wasn't easy…but," she took a deep breath, "I feel relieved, somehow."

"That's good, right?" He wasn't really sure if a divorce could be considered 'good'.

"Yeah, it was for the best," she evaded. "Have you talked to Alex yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Are you nervous about it?" she asked.

"Maybe." He let out a nervous laugh and it made Ellie smile.

"It's going to work out fine," she encouraged him. "Alex is a great girl, John and she cares about you. I'm sure she'll support us."

"I hope so." He really did hope so.

"Look, I've gotta go; my shift just started. I'll talk to you later?"

"You sure you're ok to go on a shift? Maybe you should go home," he suggested, acting a little overprotective.

"I'm fine; it will be good for me to concentrate on something else," she assured him.

"You sure?" he insisted.

"Positive. Don't worry about me, ok? Focus on Alex," she advised him.

"I will," he said.

"You'll be back in time for dinner, right?" she asked, a sudden excited tone in her voice.

Casey took a few seconds to respond to that. He couldn't recall the last time someone actually had waited for him to be home for dinner.

"Sure," he answered, a small smile she couldn't see playing on his lips.

"Great," she excitedly replied. "See you later!"

* * *

When his shift at the Buy More ended, Alex was already there waiting for him. While he changed out of his green polo shirt and into a black T-shirt, Alex played the Wii with Morgan, who was all too happy to be with her.

"Grimes," Casey said in his most intimidating tone. The youngest man quickly stepped away from Alex.

"Hey, Casey, good to see you! Bye, Alex!" He blurted the words out and went to his office.

Alex giggled. "Bye, Morgan!" She turned and stared at her father with loving eyes. "Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hey, I'm glad you here," Casey said, smiling back at her.

"Well, I'm glad I'm here, too."

Casey fought the awkwardness and gave Alex a hug. The young girl smiled again; they were getting more comfortable with each other and it made her happy.

"So, where are we going today?" she asked.

"I don't know…would you like some ice cream?" he tried. Alex chuckled. Casey tried to hide his embarrassment. "Ice cream…" he shook his head in disapproval of his own suggestion, "what the hell is wrong with me? You're twenty! I'm sorry Alex…"

"I'd love to have some ice cream," the girl interrupted him.

"No, no…we can do wherever you want," he started again, but Alex just gave him another smile which reminded him of Kathleen's.

"You know, I always envied the other girls who would go for ice cream with their dads," she confessed. "I'd really love to have some ice cream with you."

Casey smiled at her. "Ice cream it is."

They walked a few blocks to the closest ice cream place and laughed as both of them ordered the same uncommon ice cream flavor; Caramel Ice Cream with Cinnamon Bun Dough and Cinnamon Streusel Swirl.

"Seems like not only the blue eyes are inheritable," Casey said, looking at his firstborn.

"Good taste is also hereditary," she joked.

They enjoyed their ice cream in silence for a few moments. Both Casey and Alex were happy the silence between them was not awkward; it was actually rather pleasant.

Casey used the moment to think of a way to introduce the subject of Ellie to Alex so the news wouldn't be so shocking.

"How's Chuck?" Alex suddenly asked.

Casey was surprised with the question; it was as if the girl knew what he was thinking about. Maybe they had some kind of father-daughter connection.

"He's good…he's been more in the field than myself. He's got potential," he commented.

"Sarah is not very thrilled about it, is she?" the girl asked with a laugh.

"No, Walker turned out to be very overprotective." Somehow, now, he understood why.

Alex gave him an understanding nod. When Casey was about to start talking, an ice cream stain on her blouse caught her attention. As she wasn't looking directly at him, he decided to introduce the subject.

"Alex, you remember Ellie don't you?" he started.

_Smooth, Colonel, very smooth._

"Chuck's sister?" she asked looking up from her dirty piece of clothing.

Casey nodded.

"Sure, I've been to her house a few times and the holidays, too. Why?" she asked.

"Just…you know…" he started to babble and Alex discreetly laughed.

The babbling and the red creeping onto her father's face confirmed her suspicions. As much fun as it was seeing him like that, she decided to make things a little easier for him.

"Is there something you wanna tell me?" she asked with false-innocence.

"Ellie and I, we…we've been…we _are _dating,_" _he finally managed to say.

"_Dating…_" Alex repeated and Casey began to worry, but his worries didn't last long as the girl smiled broadly at him. "You're dating!" She happily clapped her hands in excitement. "Dad, this is great!"

As much as Casey was happy with Alex's positive reaction, another thing caught his attention. She had just called him _'Dad'_ for the first time. He wasn't ready for the rush of feelings it caused him. Joy. Fulfillment. _Pride_. He was so caught up in these feelings Alex had to call him in order to get his attention back.

"So, you're ok with this? With me and Ellie?" he asked.

"Sure! I like Ellie; she's smart and she's grounded. And most importantly, she likes you," she smiled. "And I think you guys are great together."

"Thanks, Alex," he said in a relieved tone.

"Do you love her?" The girl asked with a wicked smile, her blue eyes glittering.

He didn't immediately answer, but again, the red in his face gave him up.

"Maybe," he said in an almost inaudible tone and his face turned redder.

"I knew it!" she said with a smile.

"That obvious, huh?" he asked, a little less embarrassed.

"Well, it was kind of evident by the way you look at her. You can't hide that," she said, but reconsidered. "Well, maybe you _can_, but not for very long and certainly not from me. I can see through you sometimes and I could see that," she playfully said.

"Oh, really?" he challenged her in the same playful spirit.

"Well, I_ am_ your daughter. Maybe it's a benefit of mine," she joked.

"Maybe," he agreed, delighted that she actually knew him in a certain way.

Suddenly, her cell phone rang and whoever was on the other line reminded her that she was late for work.

"I'm really happy for you," she said when they were leaving, "and I'm happy you told me about it."

"Well, it's really important to me that you're ok with that," he said, truly meaning it.

She smiled at him. "Send Ellie my best, ok?"

"I will," he guaranteed.

He kissed her on the cheek and both were turning to go opposite ways, when Alex stopped and turned to look at her father. "Hey, Dad…"

He turned back and looked at her with a smile as she went towards him. He firmly held her in his arms as she hugged him tightly.

"Thanks for the ice cream."

* * *

Ellie leaned against Casey's shoulder as she sat on the couch waiting for her pot roast to cook.

Casey looked away from the TV and turned his attention at Ellie. She smiled as he laced his fingers with hers and kissed the top of her head. "How was your day?"

She sighed. "Long. Tiring. Stressful." She squeezed his hand a little, not wanting to talk about it.

"You ok?" he asked with concern.

Ellie nodded. "Yeah, I guess so".

"Are you sure?" he asked. He didn't want to pressure her, but he felt maybe she needed to talk to someone.

Ellie lifted her head from his shoulder so she could look at him. "It was not easy. I felt like I was hurting him…I know I did the right thing, it's just…"

"Too much to handle at once," he completed the sentence for her.

She gave him a small smile. "Exactly. It's just hard to let go of something you were so certain about. I never thought we would get divorced. We had so many plans together… It's just hard, you know?"

Casey nodded and looked away from her. Maybe she did regret being with him. Maybe she would be better with Devon.

_You're just not good for her, Marine._

Ellie realized by his expression he was having a rare moment of insecurity, so she kindly lifted his chin so he would look at her. "Hey," she said looking into his deep blue eyes, "I don't regret it though. I'm here with you. You're the one I want to make new plans with. I'm just saying it will take some time to assimilate everything. Stop thinking nonsense, ok?"

He slowly stroked her cheek. "You know, you're too good for me."

"No," she shook her head. "We're perfect for each other".

Casey let out a small laugh. "No, I'm not good enough for you. I don't get what you see in me."

"You make it easier," she said looking at him, her green eyes gleaming. "When I was broken, you were the one to make me feel whole again. You make everything easier. And being with you… it feels so right."

Casey smiled at her. "Because it is," he said as his lips slowly touched hers, starting a deep passionate kiss.

They broke the kiss and Ellie smiled. "Just like I said," she joked and they beamed at each other.

Contented, Ellie leaned against Casey once more, nestled in his arms "You didn't tell me how it went with Alex."

Casey wrapped his arms around her. "It was great, actually."

Ellie smiled. "Really? So, she's okay with us being together?"

Casey nodded. "She was really excited about it…I think you have a fan, Miss Eleanor."

Ellie laughed. "Good. It means she might be as excited when we tell her about the baby."

"She's a great girl, so my hopes up," Casey admitted.

They stayed in a comfortable silence until Casey spoke again. "She called me 'Dad' today," he said softly.

Ellie smiled broadly. "Oh John, that's so sweet!"

Casey smiled too. "Yeah, it is."

Ellie smirked. "Proud?" she asked.

"Very," he admitted.

"Well, you should get used to being called 'Dad'," she said as she slowly caressed her swollen belly.

With newly completing twenty two weeks, her round baby bump was noticeable even through the loose fabric of her scrubs, making it clear to whoever noticed that their baby was growing inside her.

Casey thought she looked even more beautiful; she had this 'pregnancy glow' that made her absolutely gorgeous. She was still in her blue scrubs and her hair was up in a loose ponytail; still, Casey thought she was the most beautiful woman on Earth.

"What?" she asked, slightly blushing when she realized he was staring at her.

He placed his hand over her stomach. "Just marveling at how beautiful you are," he said, caressing her abdomen.

Ellie laughed. "Really? 'Cause I think the last time I looked in mirror I resembled a little ball."

Casey chuckled. "Don't be silly. You look beautiful." He kissed her cheek.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better about my weight," she stated.

"No, I'm saying that because it's true. To me there's nothing more beautiful than seeing you carrying my child."

Ellie smiled and placed her hand over his; it was the first time he touched her with the purpose of feeling their baby.

At first, Ellie thought he felt awkward about it, but soon she realized he was just shy. Today, however, he softly touched her bump, tentatively at first, and then a little more boldly.

Just as his hands were caressing her, Ellie felt something fluttering under her skin.

"Did you feel that?" she asked, sitting up.

"Feel what?" John asked, a little confused.

Ellie sat on the couch with both hands on her stomach.

"Ellie, are you ok?" he asked, slightly worried.

"I swear I felt the baby move," she said, a little disappointed, "but you didn't feel it, so now, I'm not so sure."

"You probably did, El," he tried to cheer her up. "The baby will kick again, you'll see."

She pouted and rested against the couch.

Ellie gently rubbed her stomach on the spot where she felt the baby kick. "It's starting to feel so real, you know…" she said looking at Casey with a smile.

"Yeah…it is," he said with a smile and softly caressed her bump.

As an automatic reaction to his touch, Ellie felt the fluttering again.

"Did you feel it now?" she asked moving his hand to the spot where the baby was kicking. She had the brightest smile on her face and tears of joy were forming in her eyes.

"I do feel it. It's amazing," he said, a little overwhelmed. He kissed her forehead as they felt another kick from their unborn baby.

"The baby knows it's you," Ellie stated.

Casey looked at her, trying to make sense of what she was saying. Ellie realized her boyfriend's confusion.

"The baby only kicks when you're touching me," she said with a smile. "I think _you_ have a fan too, Mister John."

* * *

**A/N:** So, what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Either way, reviews are always appreciated, just for me to know if someone is actually reading this.

Ok,Jellies I need you help. As my story progresses, so does Ellie's pregnancy. **So, what do you think: baby boy or baby girl **? I can't decide, so let me know your preferences :)

Ahh, for the record, Caramel Ice Cream with Cinnamon Bun Dough and Cinnamon Streusel Swirl it's kind of unusual ice cream flavor, but Casey just didn't seem like a Cookies'n' Cream kind of guy to me.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hey guys, I'm back. I have to say, I'm a little disappointed. I only got one review (by the way,thanks Sunshineali) on my last chapter...so tell me: is it really that bad? You know, if I don't get any reviews, I don't know if you guys like it or not, and I can't improve my story.

But anyway, I won't give up...

So, this chapter is a little short, and unfortunately un-betaed for many,many reasons. You'll probably find grammar/coherence mistakes. Sorry about that.

Love it, hate it, either way, let me know what you think; and the mistakes (and there will be mistakes; I'm so, _so_ sorry), let me know as well so I can fix it.

Enjoy!

* * *

"So, is this a double date?" Chuck asked looking at Alex standing in the living room with Sarah.

"No man! I just…you know, I was just being nice. She didn't have any plans for tonight, so I thought I'd invite her to watch a movie with us" Morgan explained, but Chuck didn't buy it.

"So this is an _attempt_ to a double date" Chuck pointed out "Don't you think it's a little risky? After all, she _is_ Casey's daughter"

"I know, I know, it freaks me out. But she's such a nice girl and, as weird as this may sound, I think she has a crush on me!"

Chuck looked at Alex again and then back at his bearded little friend "Whatever you say, buddy".

"Ok, that was not nice, Chuck" Morgan complained as they walked towards the girls.

Both couples sat on the couch and enjoyed some Chinese food while watching a romantic movie. The night was going really smoothly until someone knocked on the door.

Sarah opened the door, and standing there was a very gleeful and very pregnant Ellie.

"Hey Sarah! I'm making a batch of caramel cookies and only after I had already started the dough, I realized I was out of baking soda. I was wondering if you have some I could borrow…" As her sister-in-law started to explain how important the ingredient was to her recipe, Sarah's mind screamed at her that the twenty-year-old girl sitting in her couch was definitely _not_ aware of Ellie's condition.

And the blond agent knew this was not the best way for her to find out.

"Sarah? Baking soda?" Ellie asked, snapping her fingers as she realized Sarah's mind was wondering.

"Ohh sorry Ellie, I got distracted. I don't know if we have any…and I would look for it, but we're watching a movie" Sarah whispered, hoping not to call attention to Ellie "And I really want to see how it ends" She added in the sweetest voice Ellie had ever seen her use.

Sarah didn't want to be rude to Ellie; she was aware of how pregnancy was making her sentimental and she didn't want to do anything to upset her. But she also didn't want to risk Alex seeing Ellie.

"I really need this to my cookie recipe to work. It's the only ingredient missing, and I'm really, really, _really _craving these cookies"

Sarah sighed; if she denied it, Ellie was going to think she was the worst person in the world for saying no to a six month pregnant woman with an incontrollable craving for cookies.

"You can go back to your movie, I'll just look for it myself. I'm not going to disturb you, I promise" she said entering the apartment without waiting for Sarah's answer.

Sarah tried to stop her, but the brunette was already half way to the kitchen. She knew nothing good would come out of this situation.

Chuck looked away from the TV screen to look at his sister.

Just as Sarah, Chuck knew that Ellie and Alex in the same room would _not _be a good thing.

Desperately trying to avoid a bigger scene, Chuck tried to alert his sister about the girl's presence. 'A-L-E-X', he mouthed to his sister and discreetly motioned to the girl sitting next to Morgan. Realizing it, Ellie froze.

"Who is it, Sarah ?" Morgan asked, looking away from the television and spotting Ellie. The bearded man had a fearful look on his face as he realized the reason of the sudden silence.

Due to said silence, the youngest girl turned around to see what was going on, and her eyes locked with Ellie's. It took a few seconds for her to realize her father's girlfriend's undeniable baby bump.

But when she eventually did, Alex's eyes widened in realization and she could not hide her shock. She stared at Ellie's stomach with an expression nobody in the room could actually read.

"Alex…" Ellie started, but she didn't really know what to say.

Ellie really didn't expected Alex to react like this; she thought the girl would be happy for them, just like she was when John had told her they were dating.

But Alex didn't seem happy. Not _at all._

"All of you knew about this" the girl stated "And _nobody_ cared to tell me?" she asked. Alex was feeling hurt and betrayed, and those feelings were evident in her expression.

Before anyone in the room could answer her, the figure of her father appeared at the door.

"Ellie, I'll go out and buy you some baking soda, but now could come back home? It's late and…" the NSA agent stopped mid-sentence as he realized the whole room was in a deep silence.

As he saw his daughter standing in the middle of the room looking between himself and Ellie, he realized what was happening.

_Ohh, crap. _

"Alex," he started "I can explain"

The girl's breath was accelerated; she was trying to swallow back her tears. It was too much to handle, and she couldn't take it anymore, so she the just stormed out room without giving her father a chance to explain.

"Alex! Alex, wait!" Casey was about to go after her when Sarah caught his arm.

"Give her some time" the blond agent advised.

"But…"

"Just give her some time to clear her head, ok? It's better that way" Sarah insisted.

Casey nodded and sighed in frustration "That's not how I wanted her to find out"

Ellie sighed and wrapped her arms around Casey, resting her head on his chest "I'm sorry, John. It's my fault."

Casey gently stroked her hair "It's not your fault, El. I should have told her before" he sighed again "I just hope she will forgive me"

"She'll come around" Ellie said "Just give her some time"

* * *

Casey did give her some time. But not much, though.

He called her the next day and apologized for not telling her about Ellie's pregnancy sooner; the girl assured him she was not angry or hurt, and that she knew he didn't mean any harm.

"Hey Alex" Casey said as his daughter came by his table at The Pie Shack, two days later.

"Hey, I'll bring you order right away" she said quickly and went to the other table. But she did not came back to talk to him like he expected her to do.

Casey frowned. There was something wrong with her; she used to take some time to talk to him, even if she was at work. He started wondering if his daughter was really ok as she claimed to be.

Not even five minutes later, Alex had already brought his apple pie and his cup of coffee.

"Is everything ok?" he asked her.

"Yeah" she said, looking at her notepad so she wouldn't have to look into his eyes.

"You sure? You can tell me. Is this about…" he tried again, but Alex cut him off.

"Just busy" she said, still not looking up from her notepad.

When Casey saw she was drawing little stars on it he realized she was only using it as an excuse not to look at him.

"How's Ellie?" she asked, an apathetic tone in her voice.

"She's great. We have a doctor´s appointment next week"

"Good" she said and Casey could see she was forcing the pen more than necessary "Tell her I said hi" with that she left, going to another table.

And then Casey realized it. She was _jealous._

At first, Casey thought it was cute; it meant she cared about him. But when she quickly passed by his table and gave him his check without even saying a word, he grew worried about Alex's reaction to her new sibling.

Casey thought the girl was angry because he didn't tell her about the baby before. But now he could see it was deeper than that. She was angry at him for _having_ a new baby; it made her jealous.

"Maybe you could come over for dinner, I'm sure Ellie will love to see you" he tried to get the girl's attention again before he left, but it was vain.

"Mom and I have plans, sorry. Maybe some other time" she said, but didn't give Casey time to respond, because she went straight to the kitchen.

* * *

"What should I do, El?" he questioned as soon as he got home.

"Just talk to her"

"I don't think she's in the mood for talking"

"A new baby is a big deal and a lot to take in...she just needs some time to adjust to the idea. I'm sure if you were the one who told her, she would probably be fine with it".

He sighed "What if you're wrong? What if she never accepts it? I don't…I don't want to lose her, El"

Ellie laughed.

"It's not funny" he said with a grunt. But she just smiled at him.

"You're an only child, aren't you?" she asked, curious.

He looked at her, not understanding her question.

"Aren't you?" she repeated the question.

He nodded.

"I figured" she laughed again.

"Go to the point, Ellie" he asked.

"It's the other way around, John. She is the one who's afraid. She's the one who fears you won't care about her once the baby is born".

"But that's ridiculous" he said.

"No, it's not" she shook her head "I remember when Chuck was born I got jealous as well."

"You were four, El. Alex is twenty, she should know better."

"Even if she was thirty, she's still your daughter. And no, she doesn't know better. She's jealous because is an automatic reaction that _every_ older child has when a new baby comes along. Regardless of age."

"It doesn't make sense…Alex is_ not_ a child and she _knows_ I care about her. She's my daughter." He said, suddenly frustrated with the lack of trust Alex had on him.

"Honey, imagine this: Kathleen starts dating another guy, a nice guy. They get serious, he becomes Alex's stepfather. He and Alex start spending time together, as a family. Wouldn't you be jealous?"

Casey grunted at the brain image of the happy family Ellie had just described.

"That's what I thought" she said with a smirk.

"I still don't get it" he sighed.

"Look, it's not that bad, she'll change her mind. Give her a little more time" She smiled at him, trying to make him feel better.

"The hardest mission I ever had…make my own daughter believe I love her"

Ellie smiled at hearing that. Sure, she knew he loved Alex, but hearing him admit it was definitely heartwarming.

"She knows you love her, she's just insecure" she said while running her fingers through his hair "she spent her whole life thinking you were dead. She dreamed about meeting you during twenty years and now she has you, the father she dreamed for so long. She's just afraid to lose you… and there's nothing wrong about that".

Casey sighed.

"Look, I'll invite her to dinner tomorrow night, ok? So you can talk. You'll work things out, you'll see." she tried to reassure him.

"I hope you right, El"

* * *

Alex froze in her tracks as she came out of the kitchen in the Pie Shack only to see Ellie sitting at the table her father usually sat at. But instead of facing the front door, she was facing the kitchen door, making clear she wasn't there because of the pie.

She thought it would be a calm day at work; she really hoped for it. But all her hopes went out of the window when she saw Ellie.

As Alex thought about going back to the kitchen before Ellie could she her, the brunette waved at her.

_Great._

The young girl sighed and went towards her father's new girlfriend.

_And mother of his child, _she bitterly thought.

"Hey Alex" Ellie said in her most caring tone "It's good to see you"

"Good to see you too" she answered politely "how are you?"

"I'm great, we have a…"

"Doctor's appointment next week, I know" Alex interrupted her in an annoyed tone, unconsciously sounding a little rude.

Ellie was taken aback by the girl's attitude, and they stayed in an awkward silence for a few seconds.

Alex sighed and closed her eyes in frustration "Sorry…I didn't mean to be rude to you" she apologized, feeling bad about it.

"It's ok" the always understanding Ellie reassured her with a smile "I was wondering if we could talk for a moment?"

"Actually, I'm working and I'm kind of busy right now" she said looking around, and for her frustration the place was empty, saved for her, Ellie and another waitress behind the counter " I have to do some dishes" she added as soon as she realized her excuse was not good enough.

"I can do the dishes for you" the girl behind the counter said, as a way to force the issue to Alex "don't worry about the kitchen"

Alex gave her friend a death glare before turning her attention back to Ellie.

"Would you like some iced tea?" Alex asked before Ellie could say something.

"Sure" Ellie smiled. She knew Alex was trying to avoid the conversation, so she decided to play along so she could win a part of the girl's trust before talking to her about Casey.

Alex brought her an iced tea and a slice of pecan pie.

"John said pecan is your favorite" the girl stated.

Ellie winced as she heard Alex call him 'John' and not 'dad'.

"It is, thanks Alex" she said with a small smile "why don't you sit down?"

Alex looked at the door hoping some costumer would show up, but none came.

She uneasily sat across Ellie, who had just taken a bite of her pie.

Alex smiled to herself; the pie was definitely a good idea. If she was eating, she couldn't be talking.

"This is really good" Ellie said, trying to start a conversation.

"John said you would like it" she said simply.

Ellie put her fork down and looked up at Alex, who sighed.

_Why did I have to bring his name up?_ The girl questioned herself.

"We missed you at dinner yesterday" Ellie started carefully.

"I had plans with my mom…"

"Yeah, you father told me…have you talked to him today? He said he was going to call you"

"Not really, I forgot my cell phone at home" she lied. Her cell phone was well hidden inside her locker.

"He wants to see you, Alex." Ellie said "You guys haven't talked much in the past few days."

"We just didn't have a chance to talk, he's a busy man" she said " he has more important things to take care now"

Ellie felt a twinge of pain at the girl's last words.

"Look, Alex…" she started

"You don't have to do this, Ellie" the girl interrupted her.

"Do what, sweetie?" she said in a loving tone, seeing she was starting to get to Alex's feelings.

"Try to make things work out between me and him" she said looking away from Ellie.

"I know this is between the two of you…I just" Ellie tried again, but Alex didn't let her finish.

"You feel guilty" the girl interrupted her once more "you think I'm jealous of your relationship with him".

"I just don't want you to think I want to take him away from you, 'cause I could never do that" Ellie said, trying to make her words sound as true as her feelings were.

"I know that" Alex whispered

"Then what's wrong?" Ellie asked, trying to understand the reason why Alex was avoiding John.

"I just…don't fit in his life" the girl sighed "in any aspect of it"

"Ohh, sweetie this is not true."

"You don't get it" Alex said as she meticulously examined her cuticles "I don't fit in John Casey's life. He's been living this other life for twenty years now, he has this other job, this other family. I'm a part of Alex Coburn's life, the life he didn't want" Alex's voice broke in the end of the sentence, and she bit her bottom lip to prevent it from trembling.

Ellie could see her emotions starting to surface, and realized how much John's absence had affected the young girl.

She reached for Alex's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Your father really loves you, Alex" she said looking into the girl's deep blue eyes, which were just like her John's.

"I know that too" she said, trying to ignore the lump in her throat "but I still don't fit. Alex Coburn didn't want a normal life or a family. He didn't want me and my mother. But John Casey wants you and your baby."

"Honey, about the baby…" she tried, but again, Alex wouldn't let her.

"Stop justifying yourself, Ellie" Alex said with a sigh "I'm not jealous of your baby either" she said, but the sorrow in her eyes betrayed her.

She was sick jealous. She was jealous the baby would actually growup with a father. _Her_ father.

But of course, she would never admit it to Ellie or to anybody else.

"Alex, I think you should tell your father how you feel" Ellie said carefully.

But the girl's only reaction was to look away from her.

"Come to dinner tonight, you guys can talk" she tried to persuade the girl.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Ellie" the Alex whispered.

"Look Alex, you already lost twenty years… Don't waste any more time. You guys have a lot to teach and learn from each other. Just think about it, ok? "

"Look, I really should go back to work and help out with the dishes" Alex said trying to get away from the conversation.

"Sure, honey, don't worry about me" Ellie said picking up her fork again.

Alex got up and was heading to the kitchen when Ellie called her again.

"Just in case you change your mind, we'll eat dinner by eight" the brunette doctor said with a small smile.

Alex sighed "You don't have to worry about me, Ellie" she said, a new tone of sadness in her voice "but thanks anyway".

* * *

**A/N**: Ok Jellies, I still can't decide the baby's gender, so there's a poll in my profile so you can vote and help me. Baby names suggestions are also accepted :)


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